Finding aid to the Donald R. Dickey papers
MVZA.MSS.0294

Finding aid prepared by Greg Borman

The processing of this collection was made possible through funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through
the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.

Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives

3101 Valley Life Sciences Building

University of California

Berkeley

mvzarchives@berkeley.edu

May 2014

Descriptive Summary

Title: Donald R. Dickey papers

Identifier/Call Number: MVZA.MSS.0294

Contributing Institution:
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives

Language of Material:
English

Physical Description:
0.3 Linear feet

Date (inclusive): 1925-1992

Abstract: The Donald R. Dickey papers consist of field catalogues and correspondence. The two field catalogues cover the years 1925-1927.
The two folders of correspondence span the years 1931-1992.

Creator:
Dickey, Donald R. (Donald Ryder), 1887-1932

Administrative Information

Conditions governing access

The collection is open for research, except for the Correspondence regarding Donald R. Dickey specimen collection folder;
consult Museum Archivist for details.

Conditions governing use

Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.

Donald R. Dickey (1887-1932) was known for amassing a significant bird and mammal specimen collection, photographing and filming
wildlife, and discussing his field work as a lecturer. While health issues, primarily heart problems, frequently slowed his
work, his collection included almost 30,000 specimens by 1926. Receiving a B.A. from Yale in 1910, Dickey made his way to
California in that same year, having been a UC Berkeley student previously. He received a Masters degree from Occidental College
in 1925. Eventually becoming focused on establishing a research center for vertebrate zoology in southern California, Dickey
was appointed as a Research Associate by the California Institute of Technology in 1926. At the Institute, Dickey was given
space to keep his collection of specimens, photographs and film, and books. In 1940, eight years after his death, his widow
Florence Van Vechten Dickey donated his collection of over 50,000 skins and skeletons of birds and mammals to the University
of California, Los Angeles. The collection is now known as the UCLA Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection.

The Donald R. Dickey papers consist of two non-standard bound field catalogues containing information from the years 1925-1927.
The catalogues include data relating to specimens collected, such as collector number, date collected, sex, and related information.
All of the specimens are mammals and were collected in El Salvador. The correspondence includes spans the years 1931-1992.
One folder contains correspondence addressed to both Dickey and his wife, Florence V.V. Dickey. The other correspondence folder
contains communications relating to the Donald R. Dickey specimen collection.